TONIGHT – SAN JOSE SHARKS CAN ADVANCE TO STANLEY CUP FINAL WITH GAME 6 WIN VS. ST. LOUIS BLUES AT 9 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Pre-Game Coverage of Blues-Sharks Game 6 Starts at 8 p.m. ET with NHL Live

Game 7 Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN – Penguins Host Lightning With Stanley Cup Final Berth at Stake

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 25, 2016 –Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks can advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history tonight at 9 p.m. ET on NBCSN with a Game 6 victory in the Western Conference Final against David Backes and the St. Louis Blues.

Stanley Cup Conference Finals coverage continues tomorrow night with a win-or-go-home Game 7 from Pittsburgh, Pa., as Sidney Crosby and the Penguins host Tyler Johnson and the Tampa Bay Lightning with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final at stake.

“NHL Playoff Pass” on NBC Sports Group Press Box provides a quick daily overview of Stanley Cup Playoff coverage, plus information and highlights. The Pass will be published weekdays to preview that evening’s games. Friday editions will include weekend information.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL GAME 6 – BLUES-SHARKS – TONIGHT AT 9 P.M. ET ON NBCSN – SHARKS LEAD 3-2

The Sharks can advance to their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history with a Game 6 win tonight at home against the Blues. San Jose won Game 5 in St. Louis by a score of 6-3, as Joe Pavelski scored late in the second period and 16 seconds into the third period to give the Sharks a lead they would not relinquish. Pavelski leads all skaters in the postseason with 12 goals and is tied with teammate Logan Couture for most points (21).

St. Louis is 2-0 when facing elimination in these playoffs, winning Game 7 matchups against Chicago and Dallas in the first two rounds. In those games, goaltender Brian Elliott stopped a combined 62 of 65 shots, and will be between the pipes in tonight’s Game 6 for the Blues. Elliott started the first three games of the Western Conference Final, before being pulled in Game 3 in favor of Jake Allen, who started Games 4 and 5. St. Louis has not appeared in the Stanley Cup Final since 1970, and is hoping to force a potential Game 7 at home on Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

The Penguins forced tomorrow night’s decisive Game 7 with a 5-2 win against the Lightning in Game 6 on Tuesday night in Tampa. Sidney Crosby scored the eventual game-winning goal, and has netted the game-winner in all three of Pittsburgh’s victories in the series, becoming the second player in Penguins history to net three game-winners in one series (Kevin Stevens; 1991 Patrick Division Final vs. Washington). Matt Murray made 28 saves for Pittsburgh, while Phil Kessel scored his team-leading ninth goal of the postseason. Pittsburgh’s last Stanley Cup Final appearance came in 2009, when they defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games.

Tampa Bay will play in its second consecutive Eastern Conference Final Game 7 on the road tomorrow night. The Lightning advanced to last year’s Stanley Cup Final with a 2-0 Game 7 win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, as Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat scored to propel Tampa Bay to victory. Lightning veteran Brian Boyle scored twice in last night’s Game 6 loss. With a Game 7 win, Tampa Bay would become the first team to reach back-to-back Cup Finals since Detroit and Pittsburgh in 2008 and 2009.

GAMES TELEVISED SO FAR

For the fifth consecutive year, NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and NHL Network are combining to televise every Stanley Cup Playoff game nationally.

Network

Games

NBC

13

NBCSN

50

USA Network

6

CNBC

12

NHL Network

2

Total

83

One-goal Games: 45

OT games: 18

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA COVERAGE

NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will stream 2016 Stanley Cup Playoff coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra.